More Information About Sones de Mexico in Concert

Description

Sones de México is a unique ensemble of seasoned Mexican folk musicians and educators that hails from Chicago, a city that boasts a Mexican community that is quickly nearing one million people. The group formed in 1994 to keep the tradition of Mexican son alive in its many regional forms, true to its roots and old masters, and current and fresh at the same time.

The group was formed by director Víctor Pichardo (violin, clarinet, jarana, guitar, huapanguera) an award winning musician, arranger, composer, educator and co-founder of the ensemble after a 15-year career with the folk group Zazhil and the late singer Amparo Ochoa in Mexico. Producer, ethnomusicologist Juan Díes (guitarrón, guitar), award winning dancer and musician
Lorena Iñiguez (dance, vihuela, jarana, and small percussion), master violinist Juan Rivera (violin, requinto, jarana), multi- instrumentalist Zacbé Pichardo (marimba, harp, vihuela, percussion), and master drummer Javier Saume (drums, maracas, percussion) complete the group's line-up.

Together they play son and its many regional styles, including huapango, gustos, chilenas, son jarocho and the roots of mariachi music.

Scheduled for an April 2007 release "Esta Tierra Es Tuya" is a homage to the contribution of immigrants to the United States and the ensemble’s most ambitious studio project to date.

What is "son"?
In Mexico, son is a term used to define a large family of regional music and dance styles. Each region has its own brand of son— gusto, son jarocho, son huasteco, etc.—each with its own repertoire, instruments, and dancing and singing style. A fandango is a dance fiesta where son is played and danced, often from sundown until sunrise or longer. It is also a playful time where tradition becomes fluid: rules are made and broken as old forms are applied to new experience. After the fiesta, tradition is passed on quietly, as the events of the fandango crystallize in the memories of the participants, becoming new lore for future resurgence.

About the Ticket Supplier: HotHouse

The HotHouse Center for International Performance and Exhibition (C.I.P.E.X.) is celebrating its eighteenth year presenting multi-arts events and showcasing high caliber artists from throughout the world. HotHouse believes in the value of progressive cultural programming with a focus on local, national, and international artists whose work would otherwise remain under-recognized and isolated. HotHouse chooses to position themselves at the margin of the mainstream, and seeks to promote the widening of the cultural marketplace in Chicago.